1. Field
The disclosed subject matter relates to a light guiding unit, a light guiding unit assembly, and a lamp comprising the same wherein a plurality of irradiated light paths can be intermittently illuminated by reflecting light from one light source while allowing all or substantially all portions of the plurality of irradiated light paths to be uniformly illuminated.
In more detail, the lamp can be used for vehicles, amusement machines, general lighting, decorations, and the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, lenses are known to include: an input surface where light from a light source is input; a first reflecting region that has a reflecting surface for radially reflecting the light from the input surface; a second reflecting region that has a circular (arc-shaped) reflecting surface for reflecting light from the reflecting surface of the first reflecting region in the direction of the principal optical axis of the light source; and an irradiation surface for irradiating light from the circular (arc-shaped) reflecting surface of the second reflecting region. FIG. 1 of U.S. Pat. No. 6,097,549 shows an example of this type of lens, and is hereby incorporated in its entirety by reference.
The lens shown in FIG. 1 of U.S. Pat. No. 6,097,549 radially reflects the light from the light source at the first reflecting region but does not divide and reflect the light. Because the reflecting surface and the irradiation surface of the second reflecting region are continuously formed in a circular shape, the light irradiated from the irradiation surface is seen in a circular shape. As a result, with the lens shown in FIG. 1 of U.S. Pat. No. 6,097,549, it is not possible for the light from the irradiation surface to be intermittently seen.
In addition, in the lens shown in FIG. 9 and FIG. 10 of U.S. Pat. No. 6,097,549 the light irradiated from the irradiation surface cannot be seen radially but can be seen linearly. As a result, the lens shown in FIG. 9 and FIG. 10 of U.S. Pat. No. 6,097,549 does not allow the light irradiated from the irradiation surface to be intermittently seen.
In contrast, a vehicle lamp is described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2003-59312 that allows irradiated light to be intermittently seen/illuminated, for example. U.S. Pat. No. 6,637,923 is an English language equivalent to Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2003-59312, and is hereby incorporated in its entirety by reference. In the vehicle lamp described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2003-59312, there is a design wherein each portion of the plurality of irradiated lights, from among the plurality of irradiated lights that are arranged in a grid shape and can be seen glittering intermittently, arranged from the top to the bottom in FIG. 3 of Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2003-59312 can be uniformly seen. However, each portion of the plurality of irradiated lights arranged from left to right in FIG. 3 of Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2003-59312 cannot be uniformly seen. In more detail, the irradiated light at the left edge and the right edge, from among the plurality of irradiated lights arranged from left to right in FIG. 3 of Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2003-59312, becomes darker than the irradiated light at the center. In other words, according to the vehicle lamp described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2003-59312, each portion of the plurality of irradiated lights could not be made uniform at all.
Namely, when a plurality of irradiated lights can be intermittently seen by reflecting light from one light source in conventional technology, each portion of the plurality of irradiated light could not be made uniform.